Anti-Semitism is set to be debated at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party next week, where renewed complaints about Mr Corbyn’s handling of the issue are expected to be aired.

Free speech statement

The crisis blew up when Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) refused to incorporate the IHRA guidelines and all its accompanying examples into the party’s code of conduct.

The NEC retreated on Tuesday and signed up to the IHRA definition and examples, although it added a statement stressing that freedom of speech allowed criticism of the Israeli government.

“Come back into the room. I will open the door. I will put the kettle on”

Baroness Chakarabarti, the shadow Attorney General

Some MPs and Jewish leaders protested that the NEC appeared to have qualified their condemnation of anti-Jewish prejudice.

However, the Labour leadership hopes that the move has drained the poison out of the subject.

‘Genuine anxieties’

Baroness Chakarabarti, the shadow Attorney General for England and Wales, told BBC Radio 4: “We have accepted these [IHRA] examples. It took so long because of genuine anxieties – however misplaced – about free speech on one of the most intractable problems in the world.”

She urged Mr Corbyn’s critics: “Come back into the room. I will open the door. I will put the kettle on. But come back into the room because it’s time for reasonable debate.”

In the Commons, Theresa May challenged Mr Corbyn to apologise for comments he made criticising British Zionists for not understanding “English irony” – remarks his allies say have been misinterpreted.

She said: “I believe we should all be united in our determination to tackle anti-Semitism, so when the leader of the Labour Party stands up he should apologise for saying Jewish people who have lived in this country their whole lives do not understand English irony.”

Corbyn: No place for racism

Mr Corbyn replied: “There is no place for racism in any form in our society.

On that we are all agreed and we should tackle it wherever it arises, in our parties as well and that includes the Conservative Party.”

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